


practice makes perfect

by powerlens (orphan_account)



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-03
Updated: 2014-10-03
Packaged: 2018-02-19 17:02:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2396030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/powerlens
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Internally, Silver is cursing N for startling him this early in the morning. He's tried not to be so jumpy around N, considering that he's around N 90 percent of the time nowadays, but it's hard when you have a ridiculous gay crush, and said gay crush is prone to asking purely innocent yet hard-to-answer questions when you're not fully awake yet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	practice makes perfect

The question comes out of the blue one morning over breakfast, when both Giovanni and Ariana have gone into work early and Silver has prepared an absolutely opulent breakfast of cereal and milk for him and N.  
"Silver, have you ever kissed anyone?"  
Silver's spoon stops on its way to his mouth, the excess milk dripping back into the bowl. "Yeah. Why?"  
N shrugs. "I was just wondering."  
They continue eating in silence, but internally, Silver is cursing N for startling him this early in the morning. He's tried not to be so jumpy around N, considering that he's around N 90 percent of the time nowadays, but it's hard when you have a ridiculous gay crush, and said gay crush is prone to asking purely innocent yet hard-to-answer questions when you're not fully awake yet.  
Silver stares at the box of fruity cereal on the table in front of him. The colorful Chatot on the box leers at him like it knows something he doesn't. Creeped out, he turns the front of the box away from him, choosing instead to focus on the maze on the back. Now that the Chatot is facing N, he remarks, "You know, this Chatot isn't very anatomically correct."  
"It's a cartoon, N."

* * *

 

Later that day, while on a walk through town, they stop by at the Pokemon Center to restock on some supplies. Silver's long forgotten the conversation he and N had that morning — or, at least, he had forgotten about it until he had spotted an ad for Rosa's latest cheesy romance movie playing on one of the televisions. N doesn't see it — he's too preoccupied with filling the cart with Max Restores and vitamin drinks — but it makes Silver think about what N had asked him that morning, and where it could have gone.  
It's not like Silver's some sort of Casanova who's wooed (and kissed) so many girls he's lost count. Truthfully, the only person he'd ever kissed was Lyra. They had tried dating each other only once, quite a few years ago, but then Lyra realized she was a lesbian and Silver realized he just wasn't into her and they broke it off.  
The sound of the cart rattling further down the aisle jerks Silver from his thoughts, and he hurries to join N at the end of the aisle.

* * *

 

Once they've returned home, it's around noon, and Silver decides that it's time for them to have a real lunch. Neither he nor N are very good cooks — N because he always relied on other people to cook food for him, and Silver because Giovanni orders takeout _constantly_ — but Silver's tired of eating takeout food all the time, and he wants to make some half-decent food for him and N to eat for once.  
He decides that grilled cheese is simple enough for him to make; after all, it's just bread and cheese. How hard could it be? N watches him from the kitchen table as he hurries around to get all the supplies gathered.  
Bread, check.  
Cheese, check.  
Griddle, check.  
Okay.  
Now what?  
Silver hesitates for a moment as he stares at everything laid out in front of him. Grilled cheese sounded simple in theory, but in practice, he's realizing he has no idea how to go about making it. Does he toast the bread first? Does the cheese go on the griddle or the bread? How does the cheese melt if it isn't touching the griddle? Why didn't Giovanni teach him how to cook a proper meal before he turned 18?  
A full minute passes by with Silver staring blankly at the grilled cheese ingredients and N staring blankly at Silver, and then Silver sighs and picks up the phone to order pizza.

* * *

 

Over pizza and breadsticks, Silver tries turning N's question back on him.  
"So," he says as nonchalantly as he can, swirling a breadstick around in marinara sauce, "have _you_ ever kissed anyone, N?"  
"Does a Pokemon count?"  
Silver can't believe he has a crush on this weirdo. "No."  
"Then no." N bites into a slice of pizza, and the oil from it runs down his chin. He scrambles frantically for a napkin to wipe it up before it gets onto his only clean white shirt. Once N has finally mopped up all the oil off his chin, Silver decides to ask one of the worst, most poorly-worded questions he's asked in a long time.  
"Well," Silver begins, putting on a haughty air even though he could potentially be Fucking Everything Up right this second, "there are a lot of hot babes in Johto. Haven't you noticed?"  
"No, not really."  
"Well, they're everywhere," Silver insists, pointing at N with his breadstick. "And you, well, you're not so bad-looking yourself, if we're being honest. So what's going to happen when one of these hot Johto babes tries to get with you and you don't know how to kiss?"  
"You think that'll happen?" N looks genuinely curious, and Silver's stomach turns over at the thought of some Beauty arm-in-arm with N, mostly because all the Beauties he's ever encountered in Johto are tall, hot, and intimidating, and Silver doesn't know if he could handle being around one if N brought her home.  
"Yeah, why not?" he says, letting out a nervous chuckle, and then, before N can say anything else, he continues, "My point is, when that time comes, it'd be totally humiliating if you didn't know how to do something as simple as _kiss_ , right? You're this tall, dark, and handsome 20-something, and you have zero experience. You'd be so embarrassed if she laughed at you, right?"  
"I guess," N says, shrugging, picking up another slice of pizza, and dabbing off the excess oil with a paper towel. He doesn't really get why Silver's making such a big deal out of this, but maybe it's just that the way society works is way different in Johto than it is in Unova and he's trying to be a good pal and help N adjust. N doesn't want to be rude and reject his hospitality.  
"So," Silver says, blood rushing in his ears, "I think the only logical thing for you to do now is to learn how to kiss before one of those Beauties snaps you up like a Casteliacone on a Tuesday morning."  
"How am I going to do that?"  
Silver's heart is racing as he jabs his thumbs at his chest. "I'll step up to the plate," he says, hoping his voice isn't wavering nervously, "and help you practice. That's what friends do, right?"  
"Alright," N says, and Silver notes that he doesn't seem to be experiencing nearly as much internal turmoil as he is right now. He just keeps eating his pizza like nothing happened. Silver turns his attention back to finishing the rest of the breadstick in his hand and hoping that N completely forgets everything that he just said, because that was downright _embarrassing_.

* * *

 

N doesn't forget, though, and once lunch is over and they're sitting in front of the television in the living room, he splays his hands on his knees and turns toward Silver. "So, you said you'd help me out?"  
Silver's stomach drops like he just missed the last step going down the stairs, and a cold sweat breaks out on the back of his neck.  
"Tch," he says, wiping his clammy hands on his pants, "someone's eager, huh?"  
"You could say that, yes."  
N's staring at Silver really intently now, and it's only making Silver more nervous than he already is, so he says, "Well, you need to shut your eyes first, because no one kisses with their eyes open. You've seen that on television, yeah?"  
N nods and squeezes his eyes shut, waiting, and suddenly now all the pressure is on Silver to make a move. "Okay..." he says, stalling for time, and then, before he can hesitate any longer, he takes a deep breath and moves in to kiss N.  
The room suddenly feels too quiet, even with the chatter of the television in the background, and honestly, it's not particularly remarkable, at least in N's thoughts. He mentally adds this to the list of things he just doesn't quite get yet. He also wonders if maybe he's done something wrong when Silver pulls away and his face is bright red, because surely that means he's pissed.  
But Silver doesn't say anything to indicate that he's mad, despite the fact that every other time that N's seen him angry, his face has been that particular shade of scarlet.  
"That wasn't bad for a first try," he says, his face slowly approaching the color of his hair. N's surprised he's not seeing steam rising out of his ears yet. "Do you want to try it again?"  
"Yes," N says, a little too quickly. This time, he leans in too, meeting Silver halfway. The angle of their heads is a little different this time, and — well, N figures, this isn't too bad, now that he thinks about it. He supposes it'll be even better with someone he's dating, once that time eventually rolls around, but kissing Silver in the meantime doesn't sound all that unpleasant. Silver's hand is resting on his shoulder now, his other hand inching towards his knee, and N's about to put his hand on Silver's when suddenly, there's the sound of a key turning in the lock, and the back door opens.  
"We're home!" Giovanni calls from the kitchen, and before N knows what's happening Silver's sitting on the absolute other end of the couch, drying his lips on the sleeve of his tracksuit. There's the _clunk_ of grocery bags being set down on the table, then footsteps, and then Ariana pokes her head into the living room.  
"How was your day?" she asks, oblivious to the fact that two seconds ago her son and this strange green-haired man were making out on her couch.  
"It was fine," Silver babbles, his voice cracking. He silently wills N to not say anything about what they were just doing. "We went to the Pokemon Center and got some supplies, and I ordered us pizza and breadsticks, so you don't have to worry about feeding us, and now we're just relaxing and watching, uh..." He breaks off his sentence to look at the television, where the title "Love and Battles" is superimposed over a suspiciously familiar brunette's face. "...Love and Battles?"  
"It was my idea," N supplies.  
"Huh!" Ariana clicks her tongue. "I never saw you as the romantic movie type, N."  
"Well —"  
"Ariana!" Giovanni calls from the kitchen. "Come help me preheat the oven! I want to cook this chicken pot pie!"  
Once Ariana leaves the living room, Silver slumps back on the couch and breathes a huge sigh of relief. N, now focused on the television, makes a comment that Silver doesn't catch about how he hopes the Pokemon in this movie were treated properly or something like that.

* * *

Later that night, just before bed, Silver sits on the edge of his bed and stares at the ground, replaying the events of the day in his head while N brushes his teeth. He almost thinks he imagined kissing N. He wonders what Giovanni and Ariana would really think if he and N started dating. N himself appears in the doorway as these thoughts are rolling around in Silver's head, clad in a gray t-shirt and a pair of shorts.  
"Silver," he says, and Silver starts, not expecting N to have said anything yet. N comes around and sits next to Silver on the bed, fixing him with a stare that Silver can't quite understand in the semidarkness of their shared room.  
Silver's about to open his mouth and ask what N wanted to say when N leans in and kisses him again for the third time that day. His mouth is soft and tastes like mint toothpaste, and Silver's head is buzzing, and before he knows it three kisses turns into four, and then five, and then somewhere along the line he loses count completely.  


**Author's Note:**

> im GAY


End file.
